Who Were Harmed?

Think about the people who were harmed by Ed and David's actions.

Mildred

Mildred, whose house was broken into, was the direct victim. It was her house that was damaged, her possessions stolen and damaged, her life and sense of safety upset.

Betty

Betty is Mildred's daughter. She experienced first-hand the frightening discovery of the break-in and became responsible for taking care of her mother in the immediate aftermath and in the longer run.

Betty's Husband and the Children

Betty is married to John and has two children. They were vicariously harmed as they cared for Mildred and Betty, and as they adjusted to the increased demands on Betty in the aftermath of the crime.

Barbara

Barbara represents the Mildred's neighbours, who have been feeling increasingly worried about their sense that crime is increasing in their community. There is sufficient concern that Barbara has organized a neighbourhood meeting with the police to talk about what to do.

Aklilu

Aklilu is Barbara's young son who worries about whether "the bad people are going to come to their house and take his toys."

David's Parents

While we don't immediately think of friends and family members of the offenders as indirect victims, their lives are disrupted by their loved one's choices as well. They can experience shame, distancing and even hostility from friends and neighbours, costs related to the legal defense of their loved one, the disruption of attending court hearings, and so forth.

Ed's Girlfriend

We don't meet Ed's girlfriend, but we know that he is living with her and can certainly imagine that she has faced some of the difficulties that David's parents have.

David and Ed

This may initially seem counter-intuitive. How do offenders harm themselves? First, they take on themselves an obligation to make things right, one that the government will hold them to if no one else does. Second, there are moral and ethical consequences to their decision to break in to Mildred's home. Third, they burden themselves with facing the legal, financial and relational consequences of their actions; they need to deal with all the other people they have harmed.

Who Participated in the Response?